


Dough You Love Me

by Penndragon27



Series: Penn's Midnight Fics [6]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cookies, Fluff, Humor, M/M, also amazing art by VentiMocha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-12-30 20:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18321968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penndragon27/pseuds/Penndragon27
Summary: Arthur was having a nice, quiet evening.Enter Merlin.Art by VentiMocha <3





	Dough You Love Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm Penn and I have a crack (fic) addiction. I admitted I have a problem. That's all the steps, right?
> 
> Idea is from one of these prompts: https://writing-and-guacamole.tumblr.com/post/183857091482/otp-au-prompts
> 
> And thank you Mocha for the amazing art <3 <3 <3

Arthur was having a quiet night. He’d finished his essay at a decent hour, had enjoyed a nice meal of leftover takeout, and was currently lying on his couch with a book.

Okay, he was playing video games, but he earned it. And it was based on history so… educational.

He was just about to start the next level when there was an urgent rap at his door. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was well past eleven.

Grumbling to himself, he paused his game and went to answer the door, wherein his grumbling immediately stopped.

Standing in front of him was the new guy who had moved across the hall not long ago. Arthur remembered him because the guy had tripped on his way up the stairs and dropped a pile of underwear at his feet. It was the clumsiness that made him memorable, not the pretty eyes or killer cheekbones.

The guy looked no more put together at the moment. In fact he looked terrible: Bags under his eyes, hair a curly mess, wearing a ratty t-shirt and baggy sweatpants with rolled up papers sticking out of the pockets. He was also holding three giant bowls in a careful balancing act that seemed to be filled with-

"Cookie dough!"

 

Arthur blinked at the sudden declaration.

“Yes, I gathered as much.”

The guy gave a whimper and Arthur had to resist the urge to wrap him in a blanket and hand him tea. It was a weird urge, one he’d never felt before. He didn’t even have tea. Maybe some apple cider from a gift at some point, but he didn’t know if this guy even liked cider. He also didn’t know why this guy was here. Or who he was.

“Who are you?”

The guy awkwardly held out the bowls.

“I made cookies because I have finals and my oven broke and I just moved in, so you don’t know who I am, unless you remember the boxers situation which I really hope you don’t, of course I just reminded you of it because I’m an idiot and will fail biology and will never get into med school and I just need an oven, I don’t know why I’m giving you my life story.”

When he finally paused for breath, Arthur immediately cut in, taking one of the bowls before his guest dropped them all to the ground.

“It’s alright, mate. You can use my oven.”

The guy looked at him with bright blue eyes before bursting into tears. Arthur wisely took the rest of the bowls to bring to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry,” the guy said, following sluggishly and rubbing his eyes. “It’s just been a long day and I thought I was out of chocolate chips, but they were just in the living room because I was eating them as a reward for studying calculus yesterday and I barely had enough for one batch so I made the others snickerdoodle and chocolate coconut. You’re not allergic to anything, are you? Oh god, of course I’d kill my new neighbor. At least then I wouldn’t have to worry about finals because I’ll be in prison. But then, many prisons have an education program in place so-”

“I don’t have any allergies,” Arthur interrupted, unable to hold back a smile at his guest’s antics. “Uh, I’m Arthur, by the way.”

“Merlin,” he gave a shy smile and Arthur’s stomach flipped. So the crazy man that appeared on his doorstep was adorable. No big deal.

“Well, Merlin, how about we get these cookies into the oven and then I can quiz you on biology.”

“What?” Merlin’s face lit up. “You’d quiz me?”

Arthur shrugged, feeling his face heat up for some reason. “Sure. You are sharing the cookies, right?”

Merlin nodded eagerly and they set to work. By the time all the cookies were baked, Arthur knew all about Merlin’s life growing up in Ealdor and about his anarchist friend Will and about the time he got caught under the bleachers with his ex-boyfriend because even though he was an idiot, he could still be edgy.

Arthur smiled and listened, enjoying having another presence in his usually empty apartment. No matter how much Merlin talked about himself, it never felt like he was self-obsessed. He just rambled. And sometimes he did ask Arthur a question, but Arthur gave short answers, preferring to listen to the inner workings of Merlin’s mind.

With trays of delicious smelling cookies, all three flavours, they moved to the living room and sat on the couch, Arthur testing Merlin and demolishing majority of the snickerdoodles. He hadn’t had homemade cookies… probably ever and Merlin’s were bloody brilliant.

When Merlin could recite his entire booklet of notes practically verbatim, his eyes were starting to droop and he was stifling a yawn. Arthur felt the must-wrap-him-in-blanket urge again.

“If you want you can stay here tonight. Get some rest before your exam.”

Merlin gave him a soft look and Arthur suddenly had a crumb stuck in his throat, impairing his breathing.

“Why are you being so nice? I mean, you’re already handsome, you can’t also be the sweetest person, damn it, I don’t have time to fall in love, stop being perfect!”

It was a testament to how tired Merlin was that he didn’t immediately start panicking about his little declaration. Arthur was panicking, though. And happy. For some reason his mouth wouldn’t stop smiling.

“How many exams do you have left?”

“Three,” Merlin murmured, head falling onto the couch as his limbs reached exhaustion. Arthur finally gave into the ever present urge and took Merlin into his arms so his head could lay on his chest, shifting them so they could stretch out on the couch.

“Tell you what. I’ll help you study for those and when you’re finished and have time again, we can go on a date so I can fall in love right back.”

“Can we get apple cider?” Merlin’s voice was muffled as his face burrowed into Arthur’s neck. Arthur held him tighter and pressed a kiss to that messy, beautiful hair.

“Only if there are cookies.”

 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Dough You Love Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18356198) by [MistbornHero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistbornHero/pseuds/MistbornHero)




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